


Can I Get Anything For You?

by BearWithAHat



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Charles is a bit spoiled but still a sweetie, Fluff, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Self-Doubt, break ups, inspired by asmr, max is kind of a jerk here lmao, personal assistant au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24331432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BearWithAHat/pseuds/BearWithAHat
Summary: Marcus works as the personal assistant for famous influencer Charles Leclerc.  He likes his job, but he starts to doubt if he should continue when he develops feelings for his celebrity boss.
Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen, Marcus Ericsson/Charles Leclerc
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. The Assistant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so because im working on three other longer multi-chapter, this ones just gonna be a few chapters long :) this was inspired by an asmr series by Goodnight Moon on youtube!

Marcus stood by a large, engraved wooden door and counted the seconds on his watch until the clock struck eight o'clock sharp. He then opened the door to the expensive and extravagant bedroom with a folder tucked under his arm and a chilled glass of water in hand.

He made his way across the room to the sprawling king sized bed, in which lay a sleeping figure draped in thousand thread count sheets. Marcus set the glass of water down on the nightstand next to the bed and pulled an ottoman from the corner of the room up to the side of the bed for him to sit down on.

"Good morning, Charles," he said soothingly, and he smiled pleasantly as the young man in the bed yawned and sat up. Marcus was on his feet in an instant to prop the pillows up behind his back so he could sit up comfortably in bed.

"Morning," Charles mumbled, rubbing his eyes and taking the glass of water from the nightstand.

"I've brought you your chilled glass of water to help you wake up as usual, and I'll go over the schedule for today while you drink that," Marcus announced, taking a sheet of paper out of the folder and a pen from his pocket. Charles nodded and sipped the water.

"Before we get to that though, how did you sleep? Was there anything wrong with the temperature or the room in general?" Marcus asked inquisitively. He was prepared to jot down any critiques Charles had.

"I slept pretty well. It was a bit hot during the middle of the night, so I want the temperature turned down a degree for tonight. And I think I would sleep better if the nightlight was a blue color, not white," Charles reported, tapping his nails along the side of the glass.

Marcus noted all of it down before asking, "and what should I tell the kitchen to be preparing for your breakfast while we go over everything?"

When Charles answered with 'avocado toast and a cup of cereal,' Marcus texted the head of the kitchen staff the order. Once his phone was back in his pocket, he flipped through his folder until he found the printed schedule he had typed up the previous evening.

"Okay, so after breakfast, we'll have you dressed for the day by 9:30. At ten, we leave for a consultation with the people at Vogue for your photoshoot for the cover of next month's magazine. That will take us to about 12:00, so we'll get lunch after that and then go to your 2:00 yoga session with Carlos, where you guys are going to work on core strength, unless you want me to tell him to focus on something else?" Marcus began, looking up to see if Charles had any input.

Taking another swallow of water, Charles didn't object to the yoga plans and told Marcus to continue.

"That will run from two to three. We'll have you home by three thirty, where you can shower after yoga. Then we'll pick out your outfit and get you ready for your date with Max tonight. He's coming over at 5:30, and you guys will eat dinner around 6. You've got nothing else planned for the rest of the evening after that, so you guys can do whatever you'd like and spend as much time as you want together," Marcus concluded as Charles finished the glass of water.

"Sounds all good to me," Charles said approvingly. He kicked the sheets off and stood up, stretching his shoulders. Marcus leapt up and grabbed his silk robe from the dresser, and he helped Charles put it on before tying the belt in a nice bow.

With that, Marcus took the empty glass and his folder and escorted Charles down to the dining room. While the young celeb ate his requested meal, Marcus pulled some photos out from the folder with different ideas for outfits. They went over each photo meticulously, Charles giving his opinions and alterations until they settled on a look for the day.

Marcus left the dining room to go pull together the clothes they had decided on, leaving his boss alone to finish his breakfast. It didn't take much time for him to find the clothes Charles had asked to wear; he was well versed with where every single clothing item was stored after nearly a year as Charles' personal assistant. After working for the young man's family as a general servant for a few years, Charles chose Marcus to be promoted as his personal assistant when he moved out of the Leclerc family home and into a sprawling mansion of his own.

A few minutes later, Charles came back into his bedroom. Marcus rushed out of the master bathroom with a few items in hand, which he set down on the vanity and motioned for Charles to come over and take a seat in front of the mirror.

"Before you get dressed, I have your face wash, moisturizer, and lip balm," Marcus hummed. He retrieved a warm washcloth from the bathroom and Charles sat still as he gently wiped his face, wetting the skin before squeezing some of the face wash onto his hands and rubbing it into Charles' skin. 

Of course, Charles was perfectly capabler of washing his face on his own, but Marcus knew he preferred to have somebody else do it. The young man loved being cared for and not having to lift a finger if he didn't want to.

They let the soap sit for a few minutes before Marcus wiped it off with the washcloth and proceeded to pat the his face dry with a clean towel. Afterwards came the moisturizer, and Charles sighed pleasantly and closed his eyes as Marcus rubbed it in.

Marcus prided himself on taking such great care of his boss, and although he got little verbal thanks for it, he knew Charles appreciated him and his work.

He unscrewed the cap of the lip balm and delicately held Charles' chin up with one hand as he swiped it across his lips. "I'll go put these away while you get dressed," Marcus walked back into the bathroom.

All the skincare products were put back in their respective drawers, and Marcus got concealer and a light setting powder out from the top drawer. Even the fabulously rich and wealthy got dark spots and imperfections to cover up.

He waited until Charles called for him, and went back over to the vanity. 

"Do you want any perfume?" Marcus asked as he dabbed concealer underneath Charles' eyes and on a few spots on his cheeks. Using a damp sponge, he blended it all in to perfection.

"Hmm..yes, that flowery one I got yesterday," Charles murmured while Marcus brushed setting powder over his skin. The Swede set the powder and brush and looked around for the perfume in question. Charles held out his wrist when he found it, and Marcus gave him a spritz on the pale skin offered to him.

"Alright, we've got about half an hour before it's time to get going," Marcus said. He left the makeup products in a neat stack on the vanity, knowing they would be using them again later in the day.

"Very well then. Did you call yesterday and tell the people at vogue that I want some candles in the room and a cushion to sit on?" Charles quipped just as Marcus was about to leave the room. 

He nodded, and shut the door behind him when Charles had no other questions. Marcus wandered down the halls until he found his own room, which was much smaller and less well-decorated than Charles'. He spent the next half an hour making calls and answering emails on behalf of Charles, arranging his schedule for the coming weeks.

The job of a personal assistant was very demanding and left very little personal time, since he was either with Charles or doing something for him most of the time. Every day off and vacation break was thoroughly enjoyed by Marcys, but he wouldn't trade his job for anything else. Charles and his family were very good to him and paid him well. He got to live in the beautiful house Charles lived in, and considered himself rather lucky to have such an inside look at the glamorous life of someone the world adored and knew the name of. 

Charles had been born into a wealthy and famous family, but he made a name for himself as a professional model and made appearances on shows, movies, and all sorts of big events. Despite the fact that Marcus was always making ends meet for Charles and was the backbone of his busy schedule, nobody knew who Marcus was. And that was okay with him; he'd prefer to be the one operating the spotlight, not standing in it.

Marcus glanced at the clock as he hung up from a call with from another business seeking Charles' opinion on their product. It was around 10:00, so he gathered his things and went to go get Charles.

When they walked into the room where the consultants for Vogue were waiting, Marcus saw Charles straighten his posture and walk with an elegant strut, appearing naturally professional. He was glad to see that Charles' request of candles burning and having a soft place to sit was met, or else he would have had to ask again, and Marcus did not like confrontation.

His role in the meeting was mostly to sit quietly behind Charles and make sure everything went the way he wanted it to go, along with doing anything Charles requested of him. He was never asked his opinion on anything, only Charles' opinion mattered.

He took notes on his phone about what Charles and the consultants agreed upon for the theme of the shoot, what backgrounds and poses they would try, and a first draft of what the outfit would look like. At the end of the meeting, Marcus negotiated a date for their next meeting and ushered Charles out of the room the second they were finished.

"I think that went rather well," Charles remarked pleasantly.

"Yeah, me too. Where do you want to get lunch?" Marcus asked, helping Charles into his car.

They ended up going to a quiet little bakery, and Marcus was surprised that Charles didn't want to invite anybody along with them. Normally, his best friend Pierre came along or some designer friend he knew would come, sometimes his brothers showed up too. It was rare that it was ever just the two of them.

It was warm and sunny outside, so they sat outdoors and took in the nice weather. Marcus enjoyed getting to spend a quiet afternoon with Charles, talking casually with him instead of sitting as an awkward third wheel when Charles' friends were there.

"Hey Marcus, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you do for me. I know I don't thank you nearly as much as I should," Charles confessed over a glass of wine.

Marcus smiled and felt a warm feeling buzz through him. "Oh..you're welcome. I try my best," he graciously took the compliment.

"I mean, I know that I pay you for it but I hope you know that I appreciate you as a friend too, not just an assistant," Charles said, leaning forward and looking at Marcus with kind eyes.

He blushed and looked down at his lap, flattered at Charles considering him a _friend._ Here in front of him was a handsome, wealthy, mega-famous-celebrity model who he was privileged enough to spend most of his days with, and hearing that Charles thought of him as a friend made him love his job even more.

"Thank you, that really means a lot to me," Marcus responded, wishing Charles would always look at him like that.

The next few hours passed by rather quickly for Marcus. He took Charles to the gym for his yoga session with Carlos, his charming private trainer. Charles was all flushed from exertion and had on a headband like he always insisted on wearing when working out, and Marcus was amazed by how great he looked even after an hour long workout.

After Charles was home and all washed up, he sat on his bed in his silk robe while Marcus helped him pick an outfit for his date night. Max, Charles' boyfriend, was the son of a Dutch businessman, and the two had been dating for about five months. Marcus didn't know what Charles saw in the guy, seeing as he didn't seem to nice, but Charles was absolutely infatuated with him it seemed.

Charles picked a bright white sundress once he had gone through multiple outfits. The fact that he chose to wear a dress spoke volumes about how much he cherished the relationship; Charles only ever wore dresses or skirts to prestigious formal events or when he was trying to impress somebody. 

Marcus dutifully reapplied his makeup, and Charles insisted on wearing mascara and a pink lipgloss too. He looked stunning by the time his boyfriend arrived, and Marcus could only hope that Max appreciated Charles and all of his beauty. Since he didn't hang around during their dates, as it would be a bit awkward for a personal assistant to be looming behind somebody during a date, all of what he knew of their relationship was what Charles told him.

He did know that nearly every interaction he had ever had with Max was rather unpleasant. It wasn't his place to question or comment though, so he didn't. Instead, he simply served the couple their dinner as he was asked to, and bid them goodnight. 

"If you need anything from me, just give me a call or come find me," he called over his shoulder as he left them in private in the dining room. Charles smiled and gave him a thumbs up before turning his attention back to Max, who looked rather stone faced for someone on a date with a gorgeous model.

Charles' date nights left him with more free time than usual, since he wasn't accompanying him and normally didn't get called on for anything for the rest of the night, except for if Charles wanted to take a bath or needed help getting changed for the night. 

Marcus answered the remainder of his emails for the day and printed their schedule for tomorrow before having some time to himself. He read a book, watched some science documentary that he didn't quite understand but still found entertaining, he even had time to call his family for the first time in a while.

It was around eleven at night when Marcus assumed Charles wouldn't be calling on him that night, since he hadn't in the past five hours. Marcus gladly sank down onto his bed, feeling the tiredness seep from his strained muscles. It only took him a few minutes to drift off soundly to sleep, dreaming of a certain model friend of his.


	2. The Mediator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back with some more rich boy charles :)

It was around eleven at night when Marcus woke up to the sound of his bedroom door creaking open.

Sitting up, he saw Charles standing in the doorway.

“Can I get anything for you?” Marcus asked, conjuring up his best professionalism. It might be late at night, but it was work time whenever Charles needed him.

“I know it’s late, but I want to take a bath,” Charles whispered, tapping his nails against the door.

Marcus nodded and got up silently, reaching for his glasses before following Charles down the hall. He could see Max asleep in the bed once they reached Charles’ room. 

"Did you guys have a nice night? Looks like he's out cold," He asked quietly as he flipped on the lights in the bathroom. Charles nodded as Marcus turned on the bathwater, adjusting the temperature to exactly how Charles always wanted it.

"Yes, it was lovely," Charles sighed with a dreamy look on his face, "we had dinner and then hung out in the pool for a bit, and then we just cuddled on the bed until he fell asleep."

The messed up lipgloss on Charles' face and the fact that his hair was all askew gave Marcus the impression that their idea of _cuddling_ was a bit different than his.

"That's good to hear. What scent of bubblebath would you like?" Marcus continued. He opened a cabinet under the sink, where the different bottles of soap were stored.

"Lavender, please. And I'd like a glass of wine too," Charles yawned. 

Marcus nodded and poured the lavender soap into the water, which he checked the temperature of once again. He pulled down a towel from a rack on the wall and left it folded on the counter, afterwards leaving to get Charles' drink and to allow him to undress and get in the bath.

When he returned with a glass of wine in hand, Charles sat in the bathtub with his eyes closed, surrounded by bubbles. The dim lighting and decor of the room made it look very serene and calming. Setting the wineglass on the edge of the tub, Marcus was about to leave him in peace when Charles softly called out, "wait, please stay."

"Do you need anything else?" he asked, figuring that was why his presence was still needed.

"Can you take my makeup off? And I was hoping you could just keep me company for a little while too," Charles murmured.

Marcus swiftly pulled a makeup wipe from a drawer and leaned over the edge of the bath, steadying Charles' chin with one hand and wiping the makeup off of his skin with the other. He then threw the wipe in the trash and pulled the ottoman in the room up to sit next to Charles.

It was quiet except for the occasional sound of Charles shifting in the water and sighing contentedly. He wasn't sure if Charles wanted him to talk or to just be there. Either way, he was perfectly fine to spend a quiet moment with him.

Marcus didn't want to stare, but he looked over the soft features of Charles' face. He truly was beautiful, and that was exactly when Marcus became aware that he was falling in love with Charles.

In the past year, he had gotten to see not only the young man's physical beauty, but also his talent, determination, professionalism, and friendliness. Every time he sat behind Charles in a meeting and watched as he smoothly got what he wanted, every time he watched Charles effortlessly command attention wherever he went, every moment he was with him was breathtaking because Charles was that _impressive._

For every moment spent in the public eye, Marcus was also witness to Charles' private life. Each of his struggles, fears, arguments, failures, and mistakes, he had seen and inevitably worked Charles through. Tears that rolled down Charles' cheeks were dried by him, any questions the star had were answered by him, and every intimate moment like the one they were sharing in the bathroom was enjoyed by Marcus too because he got to see Charles when he was at his most raw and vulnerable.

His life had become intertwined with Charles', originally just by paycheck and now by his heart too.

As much as Marcus loved his job and his friendship with Charles, he began to wonder if he should continue his life as a personal assistant. His contract called for him to combine the job of a secretary with that of a caregiver. It was supposed to be a professional relationship, and here he was wishing he could simply lean over and kiss Charles.

Was it really best to continue a job that his romantic feelings had come from? Was it fair to Charles, who was already in a relationship, to have a personal assistant that wanted their relationship to be beyond professional?

Charles had a boyfriend who was sleeping just a small distance away. Marcus may not like Max a whole lot, but he still respected him and their relationship.

Marcus felt anxiety settle in his stomach as he debated the matter over in his head. Quitting his job would mean that he'd need to find a place to live along with a new job, and Charles would have to find someone to replace him. He decided he would give it more thought later; right now he needed to focus on the present.

"Did anything in the media happen today that I should know about?" Charles asked him, taking a sip of wine afterwards.

Marcus blinked and took a moment to process the question. "Elle magazine published that interview they did with you. They organized it just as you asked, and I personally thought it was very good. The photos from a gala you went to a few days ago were rather popular on twitter and instagram, and I've seen a lot of comments saying that you were the most eye-catching person there," he explained dutifully. 

A small smile appeared on Charles' face. "Good," he said, "I like being eye-catching, even if that makes me sound like an attention seeker."

Once Charles was done in the bath, Marcus helped him prepare for bed. Despite his own weariness, he meticulously made sure everything was in order and Charles was comfortably asleep before he returned to his own room and passed out upon making contact with the bedsheets.

* * *

The days went by as Marcus continued to face a dilemma. He cared for Charles and arranged his days as usual, trying not to let his feelings and confusion get the best of him as he did so. 

There was one day in particular that had not been going spectacularly for Charles. The morning was fine, with everything going to plan up until Charles had to meet with the consultants at Vogue again. From the start Marcus could tell that it was going to be rough when somebody spilled a hot drink all over Charles the second he sat down.

It was an accident of course, but it ruined his clothes and was probably rather painful. Marcus jumped to his feet and was pulling Charles out of the room the second he heard the Monegasque yelp in pain.

The Swede kept an arm around Charles and tried to soothe him as he quickly walked him down the wall, attempting to find a bathroom. People gave them odd looks but Marcus did his best to ignore it. Eventually they came across a bathroom, and Marcus ushered Charles inside, locking the door behind them. 

Charles had tears on his cheeks and was sniffling sadly, whether from embarrassment, pain, or both wasn't clear. 

"Let's get this off of you real quickly, shh, it'll be alright," Marcus murmured, unbuttoning Charles' shirt and pulling it off. The skin of his abdomen was red and irritated from where the drink had spilled, and Marcus ran a paper towel under cold water and pressed it against Charles' stomach. 

"Keep this on there until it stops stinging, alright?" he said in a calm voice. Charles wiped his tears on the back of his hand before nodding and taking the paper towel from him, pressing it against the burn as he was told to.

The shirt had been dropped on the floor, and Marcus picked it up and looked it over. It was stained rather badly, and there was no way that it could be worn for a meeting with _fucking Vogue._

As if he were reading his mind, Charles whimpered, "what the hell am I gonna do? I can't wear that for a meeting and I can't just not wear a shirt!"

Marcus tapped his fingers on the side of his leg as he tried to come up with something. Panic rose in him until he looked down at himself. He was wearing a plain long sleeve shirt underneath a sweater, and there was no reason why Charles couldn't wear the sweater.

"Here, just wear this until we're done here and we can get you a change of clothes at home," Marcus said, pulling the sweater over his head. At first he shivered from the loss of a layer, but Charles being fully dressed for a meeting was more important than him being a little cold.

Charles dabbed the wet towel against his skin a few more times before taking the sweater from Marcus, who helped him put it on and dried his tears with another paper towel. The concealer had stayed on for the most part, meaning it wasn't too obvious that he had been crying.

"Okay, are you ready to go back out there?" he asked, planting his hands firmly on his Charles' shoulders. Breathing deeply, Charles nodded and did his best to regain his composure. 

The two left the bathroom and walked down the hallway. Marcus opened the door to the conference room, where everybody sat awkwardly waiting, and he heard Charles whisper, "thank you, you're the best," as they went inside.

People were apologizing profusely in an instant, begging Charles to know that it was an accident and asking if there was anything they could do. Graciously, Charles smiled and shook his head, simply sitting down and beginning the meeting. Things continued to go less than perfectly as Charles ended up arguing with a designer about what would look best, and Marcus was seconds away from stepping in when another consultant sternly told the designer to sit down and be quiet.

As usual, Charles got what he was looking for even though it didn't go as flawlessly as he wanted it to. The rest of the day was much the same: Charles took a nosedive during his workout and had to quit early, with Marcus having to help him with a nosebleed in the parking lot, his appointment at the nail salon got cancelled, and he had nearly gotten into a fight with someone when they stopped to get a drink at a coffee shop. 

Marcus had tried his best to quell each issue and make Charles feel better, which worked to some degree. It did take an hour of breathing exercises for him to calm down after the coffee shop incident though. The only thing that kept Charles from completely losing it was the fact that Max was coming over for the night again, and he was squirming excitedly as Marcus reapplied his makeup before the Dutchman arrived.

"Today has just been so shitty," Charles sighed while Marcus helped him change clothes, "I'm ready to just forget it."

"I'm sure your date with Max will make the day better," Marcus commented, trying to ignore the slight pang of jealousy he felt. Max was incredibly lucky to have Charles as a boyfriend, and he would give anything to be in Max's place.

They were finishing up in Charles' bedroom when there was a knock at the door. In came Max, and that was Marcus' queue to leave. He respectfully nodded to Max and closed the door behind him as he heard Charles planting kisses all over his boyfriend and squealing something or the other in a sweet voice.

With a sigh, he shoved his hands in his pockets and let himself wander the large house until he found Antonio, a servant who worked in the kitchen most of the time, sitting and taking a break in the living room.

"Are you alright?" the Italian asked when Marcus wordlessly sat down next to him. The two were rather good friends, and Marcus liked to spend time with him when possible.

"I don't know. I've been thinking that maybe I should look for a different job," he confessed, frowning and clasping his hands together.

"Why is that? You'd be missed around here," Antonio said, placing a hand on Marcus' shoulder comfortingly.

"I guess I just am worried that Charles deserves who can do this better than I can," Marcus went on. He leaned against his friend and tried not to think too hard about how much it would hurt him to say goodbye not only to Charles but to everyone else who worked in the house.

"Oh but he loves you so much! He talks a lot about how helpful you are and how you're great at your job," Antonio reassured him, and Marcus blushed and his his face in his hands, leaning forward and doubling over. 

They talked for a few more minutes before Marcus left, saying he had emails to answer. It was only partially an excuse to get out of the conversation; he really did have emails to answer.

He was hitting send on the last one when Antonio burst into his room, an urgent look on his face, and Marcus' first thought was that someone had died or something.

"Charles needs you," Antonio said, gasping for breath after apparently running to find him.

Marcus didn't say anything and quickly left the room, Antonio calling to him that Charles was in his bedroom. His heart rate was steadily increasing as he nearly jogged down the hall, worried about what might have happened.

Pushing open the door, he saw Charles curled alone up on the bed in a t-shirt and shorts, uncontrollable sobs wracking his body. Marcus gasped softly and made his way over to the bed, sitting down next to Charles and rubbing his back. The only light on in the room was a candle on the nightstand, bathing Charles' crying figure in soft light.

At first Charles didn't say anything, choosing to sit up and throw his arms around Marcus, sobbing into his chest and clinging to him tightly. Marcus wrapped his arms around him in return, shushing him soothingly.

A few minutes passed before Charles had calmed down enough to pick his head up and look at him, eyes bright with tears. His lower lip trembled, and Marcus had to fight back the urge to rub his cheek and kiss his forehead.

When Charles did eventually speak, all he could croak out was, " _he broke up with me."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nearly all of this was written in one day and I have slept maybe 5 house in the past 2 days :0 so my apologies if it sounds funky at all


	3. The Therapist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sad Charles time :( I promise y'all I didn't forget about this fic lol, I've just been quit busy trying to juggle writing this + a bunch of other stuff and other things in my life sjsfbvsh im very worn out at the moment!!!

"We broke up," Charles sobbed into his shoulder. He shook and trembled in Marcus' arms and it was all Marcus could do to hold him tightly and rub his back. This wasn't his duties as a personal assistant but rather as a friend.

"I'm so sorry," Marcus whispered, already formulating what he would need to do to help the boy. All that would come after Charles had at least calmed down enough to listen and talk rationally.

Marcus shifted back on the bed to gently put Charles down once his breathing settled a little, keeping a hand on his shoulder and giving him his best sympathetic smile. Charles' face had become all red from crying and he hadn't bothered to take off his makeup, mascara now running down his cheeks.

"I'm going to go get you some water, and then we'll get you cleaned up and you can tell me what happened better," Marcus soothed him. Charles nodded and clutched a pillow to his chest as Marcus got up and quickly left the room.

When he returned, Marcus had a glass of water in hand and gave it to Charles before hurrying into the bathroom and grabbing a makeup wipe.

Charles' sobs were quieted as he drank the water. Tears still soaked his cheeks, but he was much calmer by the time Marcus was seated next to him once more. He took the empty glass from Charles and set it on the nightstand, then swiping the wipe over his face and removing the stains and tear tracks.

Marcus threw the wipe out and gathered a blanket in his arms. Without being asked to, he wrapped it around Charles and put an extra pillow behind his back.

"Now tell me everything," Marcus said, sitting down next to him. He had left a space between him as he did not want to crowed Charles, but the Monegasque insisted on pressing himself against his side, leaning against his shoulder and wrapping the blanket around himself tighter.

"Well, we had a perfectly normal night up until we finished having dinner. Then Max started talking about how he didn’t feel like he was attracted to me and the relationship wasn’t going anywhere,” Charles sniffled. Recalling what had happened made his crying worse for a moment.

Marcus grimaced and put his arm around Charles comfortingly. Even though he hadn’t been too fond of Max, it was clear that Charles had been fond of him and their relationship.

“I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do, just ask, I’m here for you,” Marcus whispered.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” Charles asked, “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course, whatever you need,” Marcus answered. 

They sat quietly for a while, until Charles was nearly silent, too tired to keep crying. He shrugged the blanket off and crawled underneath the sheets, tugging on Marcus' shirt to get him to do the same. 

"Do you want me to hold you?" Marcus asked, feeling a tenderness in his heart for the young man he cared so deeply for. There was something bittersweet about getting to sleep beside Charles, it was what he wanted to do every single night and wake up to him every single morning, but that night was the only time he would get to do so.

"Please," Charles whispered. He sank back into the numerous pillows and pulled Marcus down with him.

The Swede complied and wrapped his arms around Charles, holding him close and softly running a hand through his hair. With how upset Charles was, he figured that he wouldn't want to do anything the next day.

"I'll clear tomorrow's schedule in the morning so that you can relax," Marcus murmured to him. Charles nodded and hid his face in the fabric of Marcus' shirt.

"I don't want to do anything at all this week," Charles croaked, his voice muffled by the shirt. Marcus assured him he would push back things planned for the week, and after that Charles said no more. 

It didn't take long for Charles to fall asleep, worn out by his sobbing. His hands were clinging to Marcus' back, and Marcus did his best to lie still and not disturb the object of his affections who lay sleeping in his arms. 

A few hours went by before he too fell asleep, distracted with thoughts of what the morning would bring. They wouldn't be going anywhere, but Charles would probably still have things to ask of him and he got the feeling that the next few days would involve a lot of consoling on his part.

That was perfectly fine with him though. Marcus cared for Charles as his personal assistant, friend, and someone who silently pined after him but never dared to go after what he could not have. That was what made it so bittersweet to be holding him in his arms, bundled up in the silk sheets; it felt so right to Marcus and everything within him wanted nothing more than to protect and love Charles as he was getting to do so now.

* * *

Marcus woke up early in the morning and slipped out of bed while Charles was still sleeping, carefully untangling himself from the young man's grasp. He silently stepped through the halls to his room, where he made a plethora of calls and emails to free the week up.

Some events were rescheduled and others were just cancelled, and Marcus knew that he, or rather Charles, would have to answer to the media's prying eyes. Someone like Charles disappearing from the public eye unannounced was bound to draw questions.

Answering to the media wasn't the most important thing at the moment though, and thus Marcus let it slide for now and made his way back to Charles. He laid back down next to him and pulled him close again, smiling down at Charles when his eyes fluttered open and he sat up a bit.

"Morning, I got everything cleared for today. You don't even have to leave your bedroom if you don't want to," Marcus told him.

Charles still looked exhausted and miserable but tried to smile back nonetheless. He thanked him and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"How are you feeling?" Marcus questioned softly.

"Terribly alone. How do I stop it from hurting so badly?” Charles sighed, his eyes watering once more.

Marcus took his hand and a pang of sympathy ran through him, wishing he had an easy way to make things better.

“You can’t really make a breakup stop hurting easily. Don’t bottle your feelings up, it’s okay to feel hurt right now. You’ll start to move on eventually, I promise,” Marcus reassured him.

“I guess so,” Charles mumbled, “to be honest, I don’t know if I’m even sad over losing Max or if I’m simply sad about not being in a relationship.”

Marcus wasn’t sure he could relate to that sentiment but he listened and nodded anyways. There had been a few relationships in his past, and he had certainly been upset when they ended, however he hadn’t had time for a relationship ever since becoming a personal assistant. The job was just too time consuming to balance a significant other along with work.

“This might sound really whiny and dramatic, but sometimes the kind of life I have is so lonely,” Charles whispered, “I have so few real friends and it cuts you off from most people in the world. Having a relationship made me feel so less lonely and like I really had someone in my life who made it whole and something consistent, not reliant on brand deals or sponsorships or faking friendship for the media.”

When Charles started quietly crying again, Marcus squeezed his hand and shushed him slowly.

“I understand what you mean. It’s hard to get close to people when you’re so different than most of the world. I hope you know that I’m always here for you, as both your assistant and more importantly as your friend,” Marcus said, holding him tightly. 

“You’re the best, Marcus, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Charles said. 

Sun filtering in through the curtains made Marcus guess that it was about the time Charles normally woke up. Normally he would be reading the daily schedule and preparing to get Charles ready for the day. It was obvious that the Monegasque had no intention of properly getting up and doing anything that day though.

"This is when we'd normally be getting the day started. Is there anything I can get for you? Anything I can do for you?" Marcus asked. 

Charles whimpered and shook his head, bringing a hand up to wipe his eyes and cheeks.

"Can I at least get you something to eat?"

"No, I don't want to eat."

Marcus let go of him and rolled out of bed, arranging the sheets so that Charles was still snug underneath them. With his hands on his hips and a firm tone of voice, he announced, "you have to eat something. You don't have to do anything today but you still have to take care of yourself, or at least let me take care of you."

Ignoring Charles' protests, he marched off to the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a bagel, a cookie, and orange juice, along with an apple for himself. He set the glass of juice on the nightstand and the plate in Charles' lap before sitting down at the foot of the bed to eat with him.

"It's ok, I won't tell Carlos you ate a cookie. He might make you do extra reps of everything if he knew," Marcus joked, which got a small smile from Charles. It took him sitting on the bed and crossing his arms with a determined stare to get Charles to eat more than a few bites. A breakup wasn't a reason to slack on taking care of yourself in Marcus' personal philosophy.

Once Charles was finished, Antonio came to take the dishes away and Marcus let Charles mope in bed some more while he looked in the closet. There was a considerable amount of expensive, designer brand clothes that made up Charles' everyday wear, then there was his over-the-top and often quite revealing formal wear, exercise clothes, and finally sleepwear. Marcus pulled out a pair of soft shorts and a nightshirt, leaving them folded on the dresser.

"Take a quick shower and then we'll get you into some clean clothes. It'll be better to lay around in fresh clothes and without the grime of yesterday still on you," Marcus murmured. It took a bit of coaxing to get Charles out of bed and trudging into the bathroom, where Marcus turned on the shower and demanded that he at least wash his hair.

While Charles showered, Marcus changed the sheets on the bed and lit a few candles in the room. A knock at the door drew his attention, and he figured it was another staff member come to ask where Charles was.

Instead it was Pierre, Charles' best friend, with a very concerned look on his face and a bag in his arms. The Frenchman darted into the room and looked around, nodding approvingly as if he were checking the it was decent enough for Charles.

"I heard what happened, Antonio called me. I brought some things to cheer Charles up," Pierre explained, taking a seat on an ottoman.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. He should be out in just a few minutes," Marcus said, hearing the water in the bathroom shut off. He took the clothes from the dresser and handed them to Charles when he poked his head out the door a few minutes later, hair still slightly damp a towel wrapped tightly around himself.

Pierre and Marcus patiently waited for him, with Marcus unsure of what to do. Since Pierre was now here, he probably wouldn't be needed anymore, which admittedly saddened him a bit. Getting to comfort Charles intimately was nice while it had lasted.

Charles shuffled out of the bathroom dressed in the fresh clothes, making a beeline for Pierre who immediately pulled him into a tight hug. 

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry, he didn't deserve you in the first place," Pierre huffed, kissing each of Charles' cheeks.

"Thank you, Pear," Charles whispered, leaning against his friend. Marcus cleared his throat awkwardly and stood by the door. Charles let go of Pierre and turned to him.

"You probably have other things to do so you can leave me for now," he said with a teary eyed smile. 

Marcus nodded and opened the door, adding over his shoulder, "is there anything you need?" before letting it shut. Charles shook his head and turned his attention back to Pierre. The two muttered to each other in what Marcus guessed was French as he left.

Now that he had time to himself, he took the opportunity to shower and change clothes as he had made Charles do. Phone calls and emails awaited him, and he set to work on answering those, telling people and companies that Charles would not be able to do anything in the coming week. Naturally, there were questions about what kept him so occupied, to which Marcus simply said that it was personal.

Interestingly enough, Max called him at one point.

"Is this Charles' assistant?" the Dutchman asked, sounding unsure of himself.

"Yes, my name is Marcus. How can I help you?" he answered in his best neutrally professional voice.

"How is he?" was all that Max said.

"Last night he was very shaken and upset. He's still quite emotional about it this morning but he's doing better," Marcus answered.

A few seconds of silence passed before Max figured out what to say next. 

"Look, I'm sorry I had to hurt him like that. Charles is a wonderful person, but I couldn't love him the way he loved me. It wasn't working out on my end and I couldn't force myself to pretend any longer," Max gushed like he felt the need to explain himself.

"Don't feel guilty, people aren't obligated to stay in relationships that aren't making them happy. You and Charles both deserve someone who loves you and who you love in return," Marcus told him. They didn't talk for much longer, with Max simply saying that he hoped Charles would be alright soon and that he wished him well.

After he hung up the phone, Marcus sighed and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Leaving his job now seemed like an option he couldn't take; Charles had shown how much he needed him, and Marcus didn't want to hurt him more by saying goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man I just want marcus ericsson to hold me at night too


	4. The Prospect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg its been a while since I updated this fic sjjddhdh figured it was time that I wrapped it up. was gonna do five chapters but four just feels more natural for this fic.

To Marcus' surprise, Charles asked for him to hold him at night again. He did it without complaint, and when the Monegasque still wouldn't sleep on his own for the next week, Marcus wondered if he was going to have to get him to a doctor. Not that Marcus didn't appreciate snuggling with Charles at night, really he could get used to it, but he knew it wasn't normal for Charles to need him to sleep at night.

"Alright Charles, today Carlos is coming over to do some yoga with you, and you've got a phone call with the people from Vogue this afternoon. I'll get your breakfast while you shower and get dressed, alright? You don't have to leave the house for today so feel free to stay in casual wear if you want," Marcus decidedly said to Charles one morning.

Charles groaned quietly and pulled the sheets further up, leaving just his eyes and forehead peeking out from where he lay in bed.

"No, I don't wanna do anything today," Charles cried, sniffling and watching as Marcus came to sit on the side of his bed.

"Sweetheart, it's been twelve days. We've taken twelve days to sit in bed and cry and feel sorry about what happened, but it's time to start getting a move on. Just take some baby steps, all you need to do today is get out of bed, do some yoga, and answer a phone call for maybe twenty minutes at most. That's not a lot compared to what you normally do, so let me help you out of bed and lets start moving on," Marcus murmured, giving Charles an affectionate gaze and putting a hand on his knee.

He knew it was time for Charles to let go of Max, let go of the relationship he was mourning so heavily, and he knew that Charles would need him by his side to do it. Marcus was good at the whole 'being-a-shoulder-to-lean-on' thing, and he had a feeling that it was going to take some Herculean efforts from him to get Charles back to his happy, busy celebrity self.

"... _fine._ Can I have some cereal? And chocolate milk?" Charles asked, shyly pushing the blankets down and sitting up. He wiped the tears welling up in his eyes with the back of his hand and looked so frail and tired, even though he had slept and sat around for the past twelve days.

"Of course you can," Marcus said with a smile, "I'll get Antonio on that right away. Let's get you into the shower, I'll find you something comfortable to wear." 

The Swede extended a hand and helped Charles out of bed, steadying him and letting Charles lean against him as he walked him to the bathroom. Charles hummed a thanks and Marcus left the room to sift through his closet as he heard the sound of the shower being turned on. He dug out more of the soft sleepwear that Charles had been wearing during his days of sulking around, and he left it folded neatly on the bed before going to get his breakfast.

Marcus wandered into the kitchen to find Antonio fixing the simple meal that Charles had asked for. The Italian smiled when he saw him and asked, "how is he today?"

"I managed to get him out of bed, so I suppose that's some progress. We'll just have to see how the rest of the day goes. Carlos is going to come workout with him and he has a conference call today, and I think it's going to take a bit of parenting from me to get him to go through with it all," Marcus explained, leaning against the counter and watching as Antonio poured a glass of milk and began to stir in chocolate.

"I guess that's a start. He's lucky to have someone like you," Antonio said, pushing the glass towards Marcus.

Marcus blushed and looked at the tile floor. He said a quick thanks and took the glass and bowl, making his way back to Charles' room. The young man was still in the bathroom when he came through the door, setting the bowl and cup down on Charles' nightstand. Marcus answered some of the many nosy emails on his phone while he waited for Charles to come out, many reporters and brands reaching out to ask what had happened to the young star.

As always, Marcus simply said that it was a personal matter and Charles would speak publicly about it in his own time. The longer they waited, the more the press wanted to know, and Marcus hoped that Charles would be able to pull it together and at least say something about why he had disappeared on social media soon. 

He pressed send on one last deflective email just as Charles came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a silk robe and his hair slightly damp. Marcus handed him the clothes and helped him dress, Charles sitting at the vanity and silently letting Marcus put on his skincare products afterwards.

Charles sat curled up on his bed while he ate his breakfast, and Marcus sat next to him. The Monegasque put the empty bowl on the nightstand when he was done and leaned against Marcus, resting his cheek on his shoulder and pressing himself into his side. Marcus hesitantly put an arm around him, rubbing his arm. 

"Do you think you'll be able to start sleeping without me soon?" Marcus asked quietly.

"I don't know," Charles answered, "I guess you're probably tired of it. I'll try to sleep on my own tonight." He sounded disappointed and Marcus suddenly felt bad for asking, wishing that he could tell Charles that he actually liked it so very much to hold him at night. His own bed was nice but cuddling Charles as he slept felt so right and homely.

"Oh, I don't mind it," Marcus blurted out. Charles gave him the biggest smile he had seen from him in the past week, and Marcus couldn't stop himself from smiling dumbly back at him. 

A second of easy silence passed between them and Charles eventually crawled over to settle in Marcus' lap, pushing the Swede down and laying on top of him. Marcus let out a squeak and felt a warm blush spread over his cheeks, putting an arm on Charles' back as Charles rested his head against his chest and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"What are you doing?" Marcus asked, his voice cracking in a rather embarrassing way.

“Hugging you,” was all Charles said, and he seemed perfectly content to lay on top of Marcus and press his face into the material of his shirt. He let out a long exhale and Marcus half expected him to start crying again, but thankfully Charles didn’t and seemed much more relaxed.

“Well you’ve got an hour until Carlos gets here, so don’t fall asleep on me,” Marcus chuckled. He took a deep breath and soothingly carded a hand through Charles’ soft hair, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading through his chest.

The two of them lay there like that, with Charles spilling his feelings to Marcus as if he were his therapist. Most of what he said was stuff Marcus had already heard, about how he felt lonely and was so torn up about Max leaving him because he felt he had so few close people in his life. Marcus just lay there with him, rubbing his back and trying to give as helpful of advice as he could think of. He wasn’t quite sure if Charles was looking for advice or just wanted to get it off his chest again, but Marcus figured it was his duty to be helpful.

At the very least, Charles could now talk about it without tearing up. Marcus let him talk, glad to see him starting to bounce back.

When there was a knock on the door, Charles frowned and complained again about Marcus making him actually do stuff again. Marcus simply rolled his eyes and pulled Charles off of the bed, smiling when the familiar face of Carlos came into the room.

“Hey, long time no see!” Carlos said with a grin, pulling Charles into a hug. The man’s bubbly personality would hopefully make Charles more eager to start working out again, and Marcus made sure that the two were successfully getting started with yoga before he left them alone. 

It felt like a weight had been lifted off Marcus’ shoulders with successfully getting Charles up and moving around again. Hopefully he’d convince him to do more the next day, eventually getting back to normal after Charles had spent so long feeling sorry for himself.

Charles seemed to be in a better mood once Carlos was finished with him, no longer dragging his feet as much and standing up a little taller. Marcus listened as he eagerly told him about their yoga session and how it made him feel more like himself, and the Swede smiled and whistled, “see? I told you that it was time you stopped sitting around in bed.”

Getting Charles to do his conference call with Vogue proved to be more difficult. The young Monagasque was afraid that they would ask prying questions that he wasn’t ready to answer yet. Marcus assured him that he would be on the call too, and he promised to use his best politely professional voice to tell them that Charles was not ready to speak about his public absence. Thankfully he didn’t have to do that, given that the people from Vogue were much more concerned with trying to make up for lost time and asked only about the photo shoot Charles was set to do with them.

Talking about his creative vision and the shoot made Charles a bit more upbeat too, as if he was suddenly reminded of how much he loved his life as a glamorous celebrity. Marcus felt some of his recent tension slip away as he watched the light slowly come back into Charles’ eyes, and he wasn’t sure if he was glad or sad that Charles wanted to sleep on his own again.

After dinner, Marcus urged Charles to go outside for a bit. He hadn’t left the house in twelve days and Marcus wanted him to get some sunlight and fresh air.

“I’m not going outside, what if someone sees me?” Charles protested at first.

“We don’t have to go in public, we’ll just go for a little walk in the garden. You need to get outside for a bit,” Marcus said firmly. He pulled a pair of sandals out of Charles’ closet and tossed them to him, bringing a light shawl with him too and wrapping it around Charles’ shoulders.

“Fine,” Charles mumbled, slipping the shoes on. He followed Marcus out his bedroom, down the hallways and out the back door of the house.

The gardens of the house were almost more beautiful than the house itself. The walkways were lined with trees and different kinds of shrubs, bushes, and flowers. Marcus wandered down the path with Charles at his side, the sunlight warming their skin as it filtered through the trees. It was a pleasant evening and Marcus wished he could have spent more time lounging around in the gardens.

Charles pulled the shawl tightly around himself and reached down to take Marcus’ hand into his own. He leaned against the taller as they walked, and didn’t say a word.

Eventually, Charles pulled Marcus to a stop and held both of his hands in his own.

“Marcus, I love you. As in I want you to be my boyfriend, not my personal assistant,” Charles breathed out, stepping closer to him. 

Marcus could count each of his eyelashes and wanted to close the gap between them in a kiss, but he knew he shouldn’t. 

“No, you’re just saying that because you’re still getting over Max, you don’t know what you’re talking about Charles,” Marcus stammered, shaking his head and awkwardly taking a step back. His heart raced in his chest as he tried to reason with himself that Charles wasn’t thinking straight and there was no way that he could be speaking his mind.

“I know exactly what I’m talking about. You make me so happy, being with you, talking with you, thinking about you,” Charles pleaded with him, “I love being around you and I want to love you, not be your boss anymore. Your so kind and sweet and smart and you always make me feel better, my life wouldn’t be complete without you, Marcus.”

Marcus bit his lip and let go of Charles’ hands, only to cup his face in his hands and stroke his cheek with his thumb.

“If we do this, you’d have to find someone else to be your assistant. And I’d have to get another job and...,” Marcus trailed off once he realized he was rambling, “and I guess what I’m trying to ask is, are you sure?” 

Charles circled his arms around him and said, “more sure than anything else in the world.”

With that, Marcus could no longer deny himself the temptation and pulled Charles into a passionate kiss. He clutched Charles as close as possible, feeling his silky soft skin and tasting the chapstick that he had put on earlier. Marcus felt Charles melt into his arms and kiss him back like he was dying for it, pushing up onto his toes to be able to kiss Marcus better.

It was everything Marcus had imagined it would be and more. He kissed Charles in the evening sunlight underneath the trees, surrounded by flowers and bees that buzzed peacefully around them. 

“I love you too, Charles,” Marcus whispered once they parted. 

They walked hand in hand back into the house, and Marcus crawled into bed with him that night. He wrapped his arms around Charles and held him tight, pressing kisses to his cheeks and the top of his head.

There were many things for them to still figure out. Marcus wouldn’t be his assistant anymore, and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do at first. It would be weird to be in the house, living there normally instead of working there, and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to fully stop babying Charles and taking care of him. Charles would have to decide if he even wanted a new personal assistant or if he wanted to do things on his own.

Whatever they had to work through, Marcus was utterly grateful that he would get to do it with Charles at his side, and he knew that things would work out for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this was a bit of a lazy and anticlimactic ending but it’s something ✋😔 I hope it was alright tho 👉👈

**Author's Note:**

> as always you can find me on tumblr @esteboo-ocon :)


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